Area fire departments on guard against coronavirus

Disinfectant, PPE help firefighters to do jobs safely

Mark Birdsall, mark.birdsall@hearstnp.com

Published
6:00 am EDT, Friday, April 17, 2020

Capt. Shawn Kish of the ACW-Unionville Fire Department uses this disinfectant on the department's vehicles and meeting room to protect against COVID-19. He said the process saves time and money over using expensive and hard-to-come-by Colorox wipes. (Submitted photo/Shawn Kish)

Capt. Shawn Kish of the ACW-Unionville Fire Department uses this disinfectant on the department's vehicles and meeting room to protect against COVID-19. He said the process saves time and money over using

Capt. Shawn Kish of the ACW-Unionville Fire Department uses this disinfectant on the department's vehicles and meeting room to protect against COVID-19. He said the process saves time and money over using expensive and hard-to-come-by Colorox wipes. (Submitted photo/Shawn Kish)

Capt. Shawn Kish of the ACW-Unionville Fire Department uses this disinfectant on the department's vehicles and meeting room to protect against COVID-19. He said the process saves time and money over using

UNIONVILLE — ACW-Unionville Fire Department Capt. Shawn Kish has adopted a new ritual in the past month — when members of the department return from a call, he uses a modified paint-sprayer to disinfect the cabs and door handles of the department’s trucks.

His actions are an added safety precaution to guard against COVID-19.

The department has adequate supplies of personal protection equipment, but the extra step of using a disinfectant helps to ensure the safety of the department’s members and provides some peace of mind. It’s also cost-efficient and saves time.

“In a matter of 10 minutes, I can do all of the trucks and our meeting room,” Kish said. “It was getting tedious and expensive to use Clorox wipes, which can be hard to come by right now.”

Kish uses a disinfectant named Neutral Fresh, which the department obtains from a firefighting supplies dealer. He said the department posted a video of the disinfecting routine on social media and has received inquiries from other departments about the process.

Kish said the department also has modified some of its procedures in response to the pandemic, and the health department has limited the types of calls to which the department responds, so firefighters are put at a lower risk of exposure to someone who may be infected.

Joey Sancrant, a lieutenant with the Caseville Fire Department, said his department has canceled its bi-monthly meetings to limit the risk of exposure for its firefighters. He said department members maintain proper social distancing when they do gather and always use personal protection equipment.

Sancrant added the department has experienced a noticeable drop in calls so far in 2020 and have yet to deal with an incident involving COVID-19. He said his chief has advised him and his fellow firefighters to wait for instructions from medical personnel if they do encounter a potentially hazardous situation while responding to a call.

“I think firefighters have to be special people, and they have to be able to remain calm in very stressful situations,” Sancrant said. “There’s always an element in the back of your mind of your own safety. This is a unique situation. We’re going to continue to serve our community in any way we’re called to do so.”